Chill guy
| Chill guy | |
|---|---|
 The original artwork posted by Banks in 2023 | |
| First appearance | October 4, 2023 |
| Created by | Phillip Banks "philb" |
| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | "My new character" |
| Species | Dog |
| Gender | Male |
| Significant other | "Unchill gal" a.k.a. "My old character" |
"Chill guy" also known as "My new character" is a digital artwork and internet meme first posted by artist Phillip Banks on Twitter on October 4, 2023. The artwork consists of a human-like dog wearing a grey sweater, blue jeans, and red sneakers, giving off a "chill" expression by smirking with his hands in his pockets. While the artwork had some success after publishing, it only became viral about a year later on August 30, 2024, when a user on TikTok created an edit with the artwork, combining it with other popular memes at the time. Other edits made on Tik Tok and Twitter in the following days gained tens of millions of views, attracting the attention of larger corporations including the Atlanta Hawks and AMC Theatres, who used the artwork in their promotions. According to some media outlets,[1][2][3] the meme likely resonated online as it was regarded as a playful but relatable piece which encourages people to seek self help, remain stress-free, and approach life with a "laid-back attitude".
Description
[edit]The artwork consists of a brown dog with a human figure, wearing grey crew neck sweater, blue jeans, and dirty red Converse shoes.[1][2][4][5] He is smirking with his hands in his pocket, with the caption written by Banks that he is a "chill guy".[4][5] His design was reportedly based on a cross between the 1990s American cartoon Arthur and the character "Charlie" from the American adult animated television show Smiling Friends.[1][2][3][6] As for the characters name, Banks commented on September 2, 2024, on Twitter he disliked the use of the name "my new character" for the artwork as opposed to "chill guy", which was his original intention for the piece.[2]
History
[edit]On October 4, 2023, artist Phillip Banks posted the original image on Twitter with the caption "my new character. his whole deal is he's a chill guy that lowkey doesn't give a fuck".[4] He later posted the same artwork on Instagram Reels.[4] The artwork was used in a number of memes following its publishing, inspiring Banks to create an additional piece he called "Unchill gal" or "My old character" based on Chill guy, for which he drew with an opposite color pallet as well as more serious and less-carefree expressions.[1][3][5][6] The artwork only became viral later on August 30, 2024, however, when a TikTok user under the username "blitzerzz" made created an edit with the artwork, utilizing other memes at the time including the Roddy Ricch song "Ricch Forever", and the American adult animated sitcom Family Guy.[4][5] Another edit made on Tik Tok on September 4, 2024, using a quote from the American television series Dexter, gained over 4.5 million views, and a repost the following day gaining over 13.8 million views.[4] Similar edits in the following days using chill quotes from other mainstream televisions saw similar success with million of views, especially on TikTok and some on Twitter.[4][7] According to the Indian English-language newspaper Times Now News, the meme likely resonated online because it was a playful but relatable piece which "encourag[es] people to focus on themselves", remain stress-free, and approach life with a "laid-back attitude",[1] alongside other relatable self help.[2][3] Between the two social media platforms, the original posts by Banks have received over 100 thousand likes, and over ten thousand reposts.[4]
The artwork and its online success was noticed and unitized a number of large cooperations as well. On September 6, the Atlanta Hawks used the meme on their official Tik Tok account, but failed to credit the original author.[8] On September 17, an AMC Theatres storefront used the meme at an unknown location.[4][9] Cosplay and fanart of the character also appeared online, which helped encourage some Halloween costumes in the year.[1][3][5][6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Bajaj, Yash (September 13, 2024). "My New Character Meme Explained After 'Chill Guy' Dog Goes Viral". Times Now News. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e S., Kaushal (September 13, 2024). "What is the My New Character meme on TikTok? Viral Chill Guy trend explained". Soap Central. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Kumar, Shivam (September 14, 2024). "'My New Character' Meme Explained: Meet the Viral 'Chill Guy' Dog". The Recent Times. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Good, Anna (October 9, 2024). "What is the My New Character trend on TikTok?". The Daily Dot. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Butler, Sinead (September 12, 2024). "What is the 'my new character' trend on TikTok?". Indy100. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c Byrne, Molly (September 11, 2024). "What is the "my new character" meme on TikTok? 'Chill guy' goes viral". Dexerto. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ Das, Bornika (September 12, 2024). "My New Character Meme Explained: What Is 'My New Character Is a Chill Guy' Meme? Everything To Know About the Viral TikTok Trend". LatestLY. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ Phillip Banks [@PhillipBankss] (September 6, 2024). "hi NBA team @ATLHawks, y'all couldn't have at least asked me to use my artwork to promote your team on your 1.1 million follower tiktok? ...or at least credit me?" (Tweet). Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ @bingo_again (September 17, 2024). "[untitled image]" (Tweet). Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Twitter.
